Obama Administration Praises Hartford Community Policing

Hartford Courant

Joseph Divito, 4 (left) receives a toy police car from officer Bryan Mello (right) during a visit at Connecticut Children's Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon. The visit was apart of Hartford Police program call toughest beat. They visit the center four times a year to cheer and give toys to the children.

Joseph Divito, 4 (left) receives a toy police car from officer Bryan Mello (right) during a visit at Connecticut Children's Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon. The visit was apart of Hartford Police program call toughest beat. They visit the center four times a year to cheer and give toys to the children.

Obama Administration praises Hartford as city making progress in community policing

HARTFORD — The city is one of 10 nationwide praised by the Obama administration for progress made on community policing in response to the creation of a presidential task force on 21st century policing.

"Community policing is something we have been working on for years," Police Chief James C. Rovella said in a statement. "The more people involved in our efforts, the stronger our police department will be and the better our city will be."

The administration recognized Hartford's efforts to recruit more residents into public safety careers through the Public Safety Initiative.

"We consider the Public Safety Initiative to be a long-term solution, one that also addresses the challenge of unemployment by preparing our young students for careers in public safety," Mayor Pedro Segarra said in a statement. "We also need to continue policing ourselves, and create as many opportunities for positive interactions with our law enforcement as possible. The more we work together the safer our city will be."

The mayor's office said the initiative was created to address a gap between the time a high school student graduates and the time he or she can take the police exam in the city.

It has four components: outreach and recruitment, a five-week summer program, an extended-year program and a post-secondary program.

The presidential task force was created to find a way to build effective partnerships between the police and their communities, and released a report with findings and recommendations for law enforcement.